Williams works his way to No. 1 on rushing list

By Darin Gantt - daringantt@carolina.rr.com

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Granted, being on top of the Carolina Panthers' all-time rushing list isn't the biggest honor.

But DeAngelo Williams seemed taken aback to learn that he is now the first name on that list, and more pleased with the fact it came in his team's 34-21 win at Arizona on Sunday.

“Oh yeah, did I?” he said quizzically when informed he had broken the record.

Williams finished with 158 of the Panthers' 270 rushing yards, moving him past DeShaun Foster on the team's all-time rushing list. Williams has 3,352 yards, getting him past Foster's 3,336.

“He's been running his butt off,” teammate Jonathan Stewart said. “The offensive line has been doing a great job. He just has to keep trucking, he has to keep adding onto that.”

The fact he's done so in 666 carries (Foster needed 851) only underscores his dominance since taking the starting job away from Foster after the 2007 season.

The Panthers needed every one of Williams' yards Sunday, as they built a big lead but had to hang on as the Cardinals tried to climb back in. Coupled with Stewart's 87 yards and two touchdowns, it was the perfect balance to a passing game that got through a game with no mistakes.

So while the record might not have meant much, getting to it meant everything Sunday night.

“That was only a matter of time,” left tackle Jordan Gross said of the mark. “Stewart is probably going to keep pushing him for second place. That's just an incredible tandem. I was happy with how we ran the ball today.

“Both those guys really wore them out and held the ball. We didn't have any turnovers. It's been a long time coming for us.”

INJURY UPDATE — The Panthers walked into the game with just three healthy wide receivers and two tight ends because of injuries to Muhsin Muhammad and Dante Rosario.

They walked out with no fullbacks.

Starter Brad Hoover was on crutches with his right ankle in a boot, and backup Tony Fiammetta wasn't able to finish because of a concussion.

Hoover, who has been bothered by back spasms lately, said X-rays on his ankle were negative but “I was really surprised it wasn't broken.”

“I don't know, for me, it's day-to-day, hour-to-hour,” Hoover said. “The good thing is my back was great today. It's just frustrating that I go from one thing to another. I feel like I could move like I had in the past. I had no pain.

“Unfortunately for me, I got the bad end of a rollup.”

FREE AT LAST — Any concern over starting a rookie at free safety against the Cardinals went away quickly, as second-round pick Sherrod Martin might have staked his claim to a new job.

Replacing the injured Charles Godfrey, Martin had two of the Panthers' five interceptions. He showed the kind of hands and instincts at safety that he hadn't at cornerback thus far. After some injuries and a lackluster training camp, Martin was surpassed by seventh-rounder Captain Munnerlyn for playing time on defense.

But Martin went back to his roots for this week's work. He was a safety for most of his career at Troy, but the Panthers thought he had the kind of mobility and ball skills to play corner at this level.

“Not at all,” Martin said with a grin when asked about pregame nerves. “I'm actually more experienced at safety, so it wasn't that different for me at all. I felt right at home.”

A NEW ROLE — Panthers wideout Steve Smith was relieved to catch a touchdown pass (his first of the year), but seemed far more excited about his blocking on Stewart's second touchdown run.

“And y'all said Moose was the best blocking receiver around,” Smith said with a cackle as he ran past reporters into the locker room.

Later, he said it was a role he took seriously this week, knowing Muhammad wouldn't be around.

“I think so,” he replied when asked if he was more excited about bulldozing Cardinals corner Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. “Just because a lot of people say ‘All he's going to work hard on is his catches and stats ... he's a crybaby, a whiner and a prima donna.'

“It's just important sometimes. I have thrown a lot of good blocks. I feel like a lot of times they're unseen.”

EXTRA POINTS — The Panthers used cornerback Dante Wesley more on defense than at any point lately, turning him into a hybrid defensive back/linebacker and using him to spy on quarterback Kurt Warner at times.

Fox said they invented the role for Wesley because of some injuries to the teams' linebackers, but he was there mostly to get another set of fast legs on the field. The team actually began fiddling with the plan earlier, but his one-week suspension after his hit in the Tampa Bay game derailed that plan. ...

The Panthers left three regulars back in Charlotte, as Muhammad, Rosario and Godfrey stayed home to rehab injuries.

Also inactive were offensive linemen Garry Williams and Duke Robinson, defensive tackle Nick Hayden, running back Tyrell Sutton and third quarterback A.J. Feeley.